Means for lubricating ammunition



J. T. THOMPSON MEANS FOR LUBRICATING AMMUNITION.

I APPLICATION FILED JUNE'IG. I917. 1,307,066.

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Patented June 17, 1919.

J. I. THOMPSON. MEANS FOR LUBRICATING AMMUNITION. APPLICATION FILED Jpn: 16. I9Il.

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J. T. THOMPSON. MEANS FOR LUBRICATING AMMUNiTlON.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 1917.

1,307,066. Patentd June 17, 1919.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WWW I Jazz 2772b I J. T. THOMPSON. MEANS FOR LUBRICATING AMMUNITION. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 1917 1,307,066.'- PatentedJune 17, 1919.

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J. T. THOMPSON. MEANS FOR LUBRICATING AMMUNITION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. I917.

Patented June 17, 1919.

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MEANS FOR LUBBJCAHNG AMMUNIT JON.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE :6

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6- a/zzf komwam alftozmzq Patented June 17, 1919- Mrs is gr JOHN T. THOMPSON, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY.

MEANS FOR LUBRICATING AMMUNITION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

an-im- J one 17, 1919.

Application filed June 16, 1917. Serial No.17 5,152.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jenn T. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newport, in .the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Means for Lubricating Ammunition, of which the following is r a specification v The present invention relates to firearms or guns, and has particular reference to means either integrally o'r detachably associated with a'gun for effecting lubrication between the contacting surfaces of the case of a cartridge, shell, or other type of fixed ammunition, andthe chamber of the gunor firearm containing the ammunition, preferably by lubricatingthe case of a cartr dge, shell orotl ier'typeoffixed ammunition before it is seated in'the chamber,

It has been found that in the use of rapid fire guns, or automatic firearms, when a lubricant is not provided betweenthe ammunition case and the firing chamber of the gunor firearm, the friction therebetween, during extraction of the empty case from the chamber immediately after the ammunition has been fired, is Variable, and at times, excessive, due to' the residual pressure of powder gases within the ammunition case.

The friction during extraction of the empty ammunition case, at times, becomes so excessive that it interferes with the operation of the gun, either by stopping the action of the gun abruptly or by causing the head of the ammunition case to be separated from the body of the case by a rupture, or technically stated, by a failure of the ammunition case in tension. The gun or firearm will operate very satisfactorily for a period of time but-when a number of rounds have been tired, it will failto operate'as smoothiy and steadily as it should, and the action will be jerky and faulty.

it is also noted that in rapidly firmg -a hand-operated rifle from the shoulder or hip, commonly known as rapid-fire, with dry cartridges, the ordinary friction, or the extraordinary friction due to residual powder gas pressures during extremely quick operation of the bolt, (the friction in both eases being that between the empty cartridge case and the chamber) is so great as to interfere with the quick and. easy handling or manupulating of thebolt.

This faulty action of a gun or firearm,

where no means is provided for lubricating the contacting surfaces of the ammunit on case and the firing chamber, will be noted in. all types of rapid-fire guns, and hand operated rifles but it is particularly noticeable in guns of the type wherein then-residual powder gases act to automaticallyeject-or 'to assist the extractor in extractin the empty ammunition case from the %r "chamber; The reason for this is obvious for ifthe friction between the firing cham ber and the case is variable, due to different degrees of annealing the case during manufacture. and to the tolerances in diametrical or longitudinal dimensions required in the commercial manufacture of cartridges, or other causes, the ejection of the various empty ammunition cases will take place at different pressures, and therefore, the shells or cases will not be ejected at regular intervals, as they should be, nor will they be ejected with equal ease or rapidity. It is, of course, well known that if t'wo bodies are in sliding contact with each other, such, for instance, as a piston witlnn a cylinder, the movement is more uniform and smooth when a lubricant is employed between the contacting surfaces Y the mechanism for automatically feeding the an'ununition thereto, during operation of the gun or firearm, with lubricating means so disposed with respect .to the firing chamber as to effect properlubrication of the contacting surfaces between the ammunition case and thefiring chamber. Inthe preferred forms shown and described in the present illu s-. trated disclosure of my invention, the lubricant is applied to the ammunition while the latter is passinginto the magazineor from the magazine to the firing chamber or both; but, of course, the desired lubrication may be secured in various other ways,"it bein only essential that the ammunitipn'be lubr1- ing orric.

I I .ing loaded attached to or forming part ofthe firearm or gun cartridge, or other ammunition. while into the magazine or fed from the magazine, or both, or after the cartrid e has been placed in position to be fed to t e firing chamber from a magazine, drum, belt, metallic strip or other feeding device. It is old, of couise,'to apply by hand or means not attached to or associated withthe firehave been devised for lubricating) a arm an oil or grease to the case of a shell or cartridge, before it is introduced into the mechanism for feeding the same to the firing chamber, or before it is placed in the chamber by hand, so as to reduce-friction between the cartridge case and the chamber of the gun. Oil, grease or wax may be placed on the ammunition at the munition plant,-and so delivered in a lubricated condition to the user, but due to various and obvious disadvantages, this condition is not found to be pract cable; so that for use in firearms and guns of all descriptions, at present, fixed ammunition is furnished riflemen and artillerymen in a. dry condition;

By the term ammunition is meant any fixedloading for firearms or guns of whatever character or whatever type of gun, and this term-will hereafter be used in its broad sense, tov include cartridges, shells, and the .By the terms firearm or gun are meant any type of firing piece in which fixed ammunition is employed, and I will hereafter use the term gun to cover and include-rifles, pistols, revolvers, machine guns, and the like, whether the same be of the operated types.

The term lubricant is not limited to those substances usually known as lubricants, such as oils, grease, waxes and the like, but is intended to cover any substance or agent which will reduce the friction between the ammunition case and the firing.

chamber of the gun, whether this material be of powdered form or in a vaporous, semi- I liquid, liquid or solid state.

shown in Fig. 1 and shows a slightly inthe usual manner, and a lubricating means is shown as comprising a pad or a series of pads to which the ubricant has been applied, and against which the ammunition is-brought into contact while the latter is passing mto themagazine or from the magazine to the firi'n chamber, or both, but it is to be understood that this illustration and description is merel one adapta tion of the invention and is 1n no way restrictive of the invention.

In thedraw-in s: ,v 1

Figure 1 is a on 'tudinal sectional view through so much o a magazine rifle as is. necessaryto show the application of one embodiment of my invention thereto, in this embodiment the lubricating pads 'beingdisposed within and. extending longitudlnally of the magazine opening of the receiver.

Fig. 2 1s a vertical sectional view taken transversely through the receiver-and magazine of a gun. structure similar to that shown 7 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view taken on a longitudinal line-through the. magazine opening of the gun shown in Fig.2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken trans versely through the receiver of. the

ferent arrangement of lubricating pads.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 but the lubricating pad is disclosed as located upon the inclined surface up which the cartridge rides when forced into the firing chamber. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal view taken centrally through Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a transversevertical sectional view through the magazine portion of another type of gun, and shows mother em. bodlment of my invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 8.8, Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 1s a vertical longitudinal view;

through the structure shuWIl in Fig. 7.

Figs. 10 and 11 are similar to Figs. 2 an 3 but show a slightly different arrangement D .of pads. semi-automatic, automatic, or the. hand- 12, 13, and-14 are similar to Figs. 7,

8' and 9 res ectively, but show another embodiment o my invention- Figs; 15 and 16 are similar to Figs. 10 and 11 but-show a slightly different manner of mounting the pads within the magazine opening.

Fig. 17 is a top plan view of that portion of a rifle in which the magazine opening or well is located, and the lubricating pads are shown as located within the ma azine.

Fig. 18 is a vertical longitu inal. section through Fig. 17

Fig; 19 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 19-19Fig. 18.

Fig. 20 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View through the magazine section of the rifle shown in Fig. 1, and to which an extension magazine is secured, the extension.

extension magazine parts of the magazine being broken away to more clearly illustrate the lubricating Pad.

Fig. 22 1s a transverse section taken on the ant of Fig;21.

. inclined feeding surface 23 into the 'to, 1 designatesihc sto T striker, 15 the firiu by means of a magazine spring 21.

f Figs. 23, 24 and 25 are enlarged frag mentary sectional views through portions of the Wall of the magazine opening of the receiver and illustrative. of the various changes in: details of which my invention is susceptible.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1, '\il n is disclosed so much of a regul United States A. tratc the applicati of my invention there r, 11 the barrel, 12

he ii" ng pin rod, 14: the

g chani er of the barrel,

and 16 the magazine. Located Within the the firing bolt, 13

. magazine is a foll wer 1.7, and themagazine closed by a. floor plate 18, locked in position by a floor 3 ate catch 19. The follower plate is normally ur ed upwardly so as p to retain the uppermost cartridge 20 againsttheoverhanging ledge 21, (Fig. 2)

Between themagazine and the barrel is a receiv r 2 having a slanting or inclined feeding surface 23, which directs the cartridges, during the feeding of the same from-the magazine to the firing chamber, into the firing chamber. It is not deemed necessary to describe each of the parts illustrated, for the construction of these parts and the operation of the gun or. rifle Will be readily understood by those familiar With this art. It is understood, of course, that during the operation of the gun and upon extraction of the empty ammunition casefthe bolt 12 is withdrawn from the magazine opening and the follower ur es the uppermost shell upwardly against one of the overhanging ledges 21. Upon theforward movement of the bolt, its forward end will engage the uppermost edge of the cartridge and force the same for- Wardly, and thecartridge' will ride u the chamber.

In the embodiments of my invention disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3, the lubricating means is shown-as comprislng pads 24 located in I the magazine opening of the receiver 22 im ring the undercut portions of the grooves, and are retained in position thereby,

The pads-may be of any suitable material, and if desired, they may be'constructed of any absorbent felt orfabric. For the purpose of introducinga lubricant to the pads I have disclosed oil holes 26 extending through the stock of the gun and the metallic wallsof'th'e magazine opening, and, of course, one or more of these oil ducts may be employed for each pad.

It will be see'nthat during the operation of the gun and While the cartridge is being loaded into the magazine or is passing from the magazine to the firing chamber, the cartridges are successively brought into engage ment With one of the pads 24: so that the cartridges are delivered to the firing chamber in a lubricated condition, The-pads are located in the path of travel of the cartridges to the firing chamber, so that proper lubrication of each cartridge is insured. When employing a magazine the lubricating means should be so positioned that each'of the cartridges is brought into operative relation to the lubricating means in transit to the firing chamber. The cartridges are fed into the magazine 16 through the magazine opening of the receiver 22, and While being so introduced they come into contact with the lubricatingpads 24. I have found that it is not necessary to lubricate the entire circumferential external surface of the cartridges or ammunition, and that it is only necessary toapply the lubricant to the car tridge along one or more lines of its periphcry. The amount of lubricant necessary between the external surface of the ainmunition andthe internal surface of the firing chamber to insure a smooth operation of the gun, is comparativelysmall, theamount depenling, of course, upon the type of gun use In Fig. 4, the pads 24: are also located in the internal walls of the magazine opening of the receiver but in this embodiment, the pads extend ever greater surfaces so that a greater amount of lubricant is applied to the cartridges as they pass from the magazine to the firing chamber.

In Figs. 5 and 6, instead of locating the pads adjacent the upper edge of the magazine 16, I haveillustrated a pad 24 mounted upon the inclined surface 23 up which the cartridges ride when being fed into'the firing chamber 15. It will be seen that as the cartridges ride up the inclined surface, they will wipe against the pad so as to take up a proper amount of lubricant.

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have shown my invention applied to a different type of usagezine, the cartridges being arranged in a single column instead of staggered as in Fig. 2, the arrangement being employed in the Boss rifle. The magazine is demgnated'by the numeral 27 and adjacent the upper edge of this magazine are located pads 24:", these pads being similar in structure, and being mounted in a manner like those shown in Fi s. 1'to 3.

igs. and 11 3 but in this embodiment, instead. of locating continuous pads longitudinally in the walls of the magazine opening, I have illustrated a series of small spaced apart pads 24?. The grooves in which the pads 24 are mounted, are undercut at their upper edges for the reception of the upper ends of the' pads. It is, of course, obvious that any numbar r pads 24 maybe employed ,alongeach' side of the magazine opening, and that their manner of attachment may be varied as desired.' For instance, the grooves in. which the pads are located may have their vertical edges undercut as design ated by the numeral in Figs. l5 and 16.

and 6.

In the embodiment shownin Figsf12, 13

and 14 I- have shown the pads 2 L asbeing disposed vertically of the n'agazinechamber of a single column feed magazine. As'th'e cartridges are moved upwardly, they will engage against the pads 24c so as to receive the lubricant, as shown in Fig. 12.

In Figs. 17, 18 and 19 the same structure of gun is illustrated as that shown inFigs. V The pads 24 instead of being mounted within themagazine opening of the receiver as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, are lo- -cated within and adjacent the upper edge of the magazine 16 and extend longitudinally thereof. f

Referring now to the embodiment shown in Figs. v20, 21 and 22, wherein I have illustrated an extension magazinesecurd to the regulation rifle of the United States Army,-

the magazine is disclosed as having, on ts opposite walls, lubricatlng pads 24, and In this particular illustrative disclosure, these pads cover about one-ha'lf'of the oppositewalls of the extension magazine. It is, of course, obvious, however, that the pads may cover the entire surface of the walls of the magazine, or they may .be limited in width and be located adjacent'the upper edge ofthe magazine, it being only essential that the pads are so located that the cartridges stored in the magazine may be properly lubricated. while passing to the firing chamber. If desired the pads may be covered with a wire netting 28, secured in placeby metallic strips 29 and screws 30 the latter being passed through suitable openings in the magazine walls and being threaded into openings in the strips 29.

It is, of course, obvious that while I have shown in some of the preceding embodiments, the lubricating means as comprising pads of felt mounted within grooves, I do not wish to restrict myself to 'this particular are similar to Figs. 2 and type of lubricating means. The pads be of any suitable construction and maybe attached in any suitable manner. If desired, the pads may be resiliently urged outwardly 'ofthe'g'roovea-by means of a spring 31 as-shown in Fig. 23, or' a pliant or soft rubber pad 32 as shown in Fig. 25. Instead of a stationary pad, a rotating brush or roller may be employed, and as illustrating one of the innumerable modifications of which my invention is susceptible, I have shown in Fig. 2 l the lubricating meansas comprising a roller 33.

in referred to may be either fixedly or detachably mounted on the gun.

It will be noted that in each of the embodiments of my invention hereinbefore described the cartridges orammunition are lubricated after or during their introduction to the gun mechanism or both. During themovement of the cartridges into, ,or fromthe magazine to the firing chamber, the cartridges enga e against the lubricating means proper lubrication between the external surface of each cartridge and the chamber is The magazines herewhich are p aced in. their path so that the cartridges are 1 suitably lubricated, and

insured." However, the particular means and the manner for lubricating the cartridges are shown by way of illustration only; and it is understood that proper lubrication of the cartridges during or after their introduction to the gun mechanlsm, or the means for feed be effected in faces between the firing chamber an" the ammunition.

3. A gun comprising a firing chamber, means for feeding ammunition to the firing chamber, and means cotiperating with the feeding means for lubricating the ammunition as it is being fed to the firing chamber. a, A gun comprising a firing chamber, means for moving-shells to and from the firing chamber, and means cooperating with the moving means for lubricating the firing chamber.

'5. A gun".comprisingan ammunition holder, a firing chamber, means for feeding ammunition from the holder to the firing.

it is seated in the ring chamber, and means located between the" holder and the firing chamber for lu'bricatingthe'ammunition 6. A gun comprising a firing chamber,

and means for automatically lubricating the for. lubricating said ammunition while in trafisit to said chamber. I

firing chamber, said means being arranged toapply lubrication to the ammunition before it enters the firing chamber.

7. A gun comprising a firing and 'iieans located outside of sa1d chamber 8, A gun comprising a firing chamber, and means located in the path of travel of the'ammunition to the firing chamber. for

lubricating the ammunition.

.9. A gun comprising a firing chamber,

and means for lubricating ammunition singly while in transit to the firing chamber.

10. A gun comprising a firing chamber, and means for automatically lubricating aminunitio'n While in transit to the firing cham- 11. A gun comprising a holder adapted to contain a'plurality of pieces of ammunition,

a firing chamber, means for feeding ammunition to the'firing chamber, and means for feeding pieces 30.

lubricating each piece of ammunition transit from its position in the holder tny'the firing chamber. 1

12. A gun'comp'rising a holder adapted to contain a plurality of pieces of ammunition, a firing chamber, and means for successively of ammunition from the holder to the firing chamber, and means located between the holder and the firingchamber for lubricating munition While in transit.

13. A gun comprising a each piece of amfiring chamber,

and a lubricant-carrying body arranged to contact with the ammunition. -14.-Agun comprising a firing chamber,

means forfeeding ammunition to the firing chamber, 40

and a lubricant carrying body with which the ammunition contacts in transit to the firing chamber. i

15. A and a lubricant-absorbent body arranged to contact with the ammunition.

16. A gun comprising a firing chamber, a

lubricant-carrying body arranged to contact with the ammunition, and means for supplying lubricant to the said body.

gun comprising a firing chamber, an absorbent body in the path of travel of the ammunition to the firing chamber, and

having ducts for supplying oil to the-body. 18. A gunv comprising a firing chamber, a receiver chamber, and means located in the receiver chamber for lubricating ammuni tion in transit to the firing chamber.

19. A gun comprising a firing chamber, a

chamber,

' chamber, and a gun comprising a firing chamber, 'yieldingly witnesses.

receiver chamber, and one or moreelongate lubricant-carrying bodies disposed longitu- I means for feeding ammunition to the firing chamber, and-one or more elongate lubricant-carrying bodies disposed in and transversely to the path of travel of the ammunition to the firing chamber for lubricating .the ammunition in transit.

21. A gun comprising a firing chamber,

means for feeding ammunition to the firing chamber, and a lubricant-carrying body mounted in grooves inthe gun in the pat of travel of ammunition to the firing chamber for lubricating the ammunition in transit.

22. A gun comprising a firing chamber, means for feeding ammunition to the firing lubricant carrying body mounted in under-cut grooves in the'gun in the path of travel of ammunition to the firing chamber for lubricating the ammunition in travel.

23. A gun comprising a firing chamber, means for feeding ammunition to the firing chamber, lubricating means mounted in the receiving chamber of the gun so that cartridges passingto the feeding chamber will contact with the concave means.

a receiving chamber, and concave gun comprising a firing chamber and means yieldingly mounted in the path transit to the'firing chamber, and means for urging said body into said path. 7 gun comprising an ammunition holder, a firing chamber, means for feeding ammunition from the holder to the firing chamber, and means located between any position of a piece of ammunition in the holder and the firing chamber for lubricating the ammunition.

' In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing JOHN T. THOMPSON. Witnesses:

T. CLAII LINDSEY,

'Immnonn H. EICKLUFF. 

